Dramatic video shows the moment residents screamed for help as a raging fire tore through flats in east London.
Firefighters rescued seven people as the blaze, believed to have been sparked by an e-bike, engulfed the residential building on Cornwall Avenue, Bethnal Green, late on Wednesday night.
Video obtained by The Standard shows flames bursting from a ground floor flat as a voice is heard repeatedly shouting “help”.
The fire is understood to have been started by an e-bike battery.
Emergency services were called to the blaze just before midnight on Wednesday.
All 18 flats in the residential block were damaged by the blaze and dozens of residents have been displaced as a result.
Video footage posted on a local community group, shows large flames tearing through the building, as smoke billows into the air.
Residents, dressed in their pyjamas and night clothes, watch on as eight fire engines and around 60 firefighters tackle the blaze.
Seventeen people were treated at the scene by London Ambulance Service crews with 11 of those taken to hospital.
Witnesses accounts suggest the fire was started by a lithium battery from a second-hand electric bike.
One neighbour, Sayful Islam, 32, described the fire as like “something from an oil rig”.
The resident told The Standard: “The fire was ferocious. Initially I thought it was gas and there was people calling for help, which was even more scary because my initial reaction was to go and try and fight the fire, and it was so dangerous.
“The fire was ferocious, it looked like a massive fire that you might see in oil rigs”
“We were told by the fire brigade that it was due to an electric bike getting lit on fire. It’s very important after seeing this that we take very much caution with electric batteries.
“Thank god everyone safe otherwise I would have had nightmares.”
Another resident, who did not want to give their name, said: “There were a lot of people screaming. You could hear a lot of kids screaming because they were obviously terrified.”
“You could really sense the community spirit yesterday. Everyone was making sure everyone was ok. So I think it’s gonna bring the community even closer. So we’ve definitely made a lot of friends.
“It looks like it started from an e-bike, probably a faulty battery or something because I could see the bike burning out as I was walking past the open window.”
Firefighters wore breathing apparatus used fire escape hoods to rescue seven people from the building.
They worked for over a hour and a half to get the fire under control.
Control officers took 36 calls to the fire and gave fire survival guidance to three residents on how to stay safe before firefighters arrived.
Crews from Shadwell, Shoreditch, Bethnal Green, Poplar and surrounding fire stations attended the scene.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
London firefighters were among the first in the UK to carry fire escape hoods when they were introduced in 2018 as part of improvements following the Grenfell Tower fire.
The hoods provide members of the public with up to 15 minutes protection from four of the main fire gases - carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, hydrogen chloride and acrolein - and can be worn by conscious or unconscious people.
If more than 15 minutes protection is required then another hood can be given to each wearer. They do not provide oxygen but temporarily filter toxic smoke to make breathing easier.
